No. 3 Long Beach State Faces No. 6 UC Santa Barbara in Big West Action

Friday, March 25

Long Beach, Calif.

7:00 PM

Long Beach State University

UC Santa Barbara

Photo by: John Fajardo

No. 3 Long Beach State Faces No. 6 UC Santa Barbara in Big West Action

3/24/2022 2:01:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

The Beach and the Gauchos play Friday at the Walter Pyramid and Saturday at Rob Gym

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

MATCH #16: No. 3 LONG BEACH STATE at No. 6 UC SANTA BARBARA
Date: Friday, March 25
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Ticket Website: LongBeachState.com

MATCH #17: No. 3 LONG BEACH STATE at No. 6 UC SANTA BARBARA
Date: Saturday, March 26
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif.
Venue: Rob Gym
Live Stats: UCSBGauchos.com
TV: ESPN+
Twitter: @LBSUMVB

COMPLETE LBSU MATCH NOTES (PDF)

No. 3 Long Beach State Faces No. 6 UC Santa Barbara in Big West Action
The No. 3 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team resumes Big West Conference action this weekend against No. 6 UC Santa Barbara. The Beach and the Gauchos will first meet on Friday, March 25 at 7 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid, before facing off at Rob Gym on Saturday, March 26 at 7 p.m.

Catch All The Action
Both of Long Beach State's matches his week against UC Santa Barbara will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ for $5.99 per month ($59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com, or on the ESPN App. It is also available as part of the Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney +,ESPN+, and Hulu for $13.99 per month (Hulu with ads) or $19.99 per month (Hulu without ads). Fans can also follow stats updates on BeachLiveStats.com.

Staying Social
Follow Long Beach State Men's Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram at @LBSUMVB. You can also stay up-to-date on all things Long Beach State by following @LBSUAthletics on Twitter. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at @LBSU. And don't forget our hashtag #GoBeach.

COVID-19 Notes
• If you are coming to the Walter Pyramid this season, please allow for extra time to enter the venue due to COVID-19 protocols as well as parking. Parking payment can be done in two ways, either at the parking machines on site or via the Parkmobile App.

• Beginning March 14, 2022, masks are strongly recommended but not required at indoor events for individuals who are fully vaccinated. Attendees who are not fully vaccinated must wear a mask while indoors. All attendees ages 2 and older will continue to be required to provide proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test prior to entry at indoor events.

In the Rankings
• After sweeping Concordia last week, Long Beach State held steady at No. 3 in the NVA/AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll.
• The Beach received one first-place vote.
• UC Santa Barbara is currently ranked No. 6 nationally as the Gauchos own a 14-4 overall record and a 3-0 Big West Conference mark.
• Eleven of the Beach's opponents this season are among the Top 15 teams nationally ranked.

About The Beach
• No. 3 Long Beach State owns a 12-3 overall record and the Beach are 1-1 in Big West Conference action.
• Long Beach State has won five of its last six matches, with its only loss coming at UC Irvine on March 10.
• LBSU owns a 10-1 record when playing at the Walter Pyramid this season. When on the road, the Beach are 2-2.
• In the Big West preseason poll, Long Beach State was picked to win the conference along with Hawaii. Both teams earned three first-place votes for a total of 21 points.
• In the NVA/AVCA Division I-II Preseason Coaches Poll, the Beach were chosen fourth, garnering three first-place votes.
• This season, the Beach have been dominant offensively hitting .342 on the season. That clip is good for second in the Big West Conference and fifth in the nation.
• As a team, the Beach are ranked in the Top 10 nationally in three statistical categories. Long Beach State is second in blocks per set (2.71), fifth in hitting percentage (.342), and 10th in kills per set (12.40).
• Leading the Beach's offense is sophomore setter Aidan Knipe who is third in the nation in assists per set with 10.66, which leads the Big West. Knipe has piloted the Beach to a .300 attack percentage in 10-of-14 matches he's played in this season.
• Knipe does a good job distributing the ball to both outsides - Alex Nikolov and Spencer Olivier - as well as opposite, Clarke Godbold. Each of them rank in the top 10 in the Big West in kills per set as well as attack percentage.
• Nikolov leads the way with 4.20 kills per set which leads the conference and ranks him fifth in the nation. Meanwhile Olivier's 3.12 kills per set are good for seventh in the league, while Godbold's 2.93 kills per set place him 10th in the Big West.
• Earlier this week, Long Beach State swept the Big West weekly awards as Spencer Olivier was named Offensive Player of the Week, while Aidan Knipe earned Defensive Player of the Week honors, and Alex Nikolov took home Freshman of the Week accolades.
• Nikolov has had an outstanding rookie season thus far. He has been named Big West Conference Freshman of the Week five times, as well as Big West Offensive Player of the Week, Off the Block National Player of the Week, and AVCA National Player of the Week.
• Sophomore libero Mason Briggs had a career day against No. 7 Lewis as he logged a career-best 19 digs to help lead the defensive charge. Briggs has logged six double-digit dig performances this season and 16 in his collegiate career. He is averaging 2.33 digs per set as he ranks second in the Big West and in the Top 10 nationally.
• At the net, Clarke Godbold is averaging 1.02 blocks per set which ranks him 15th in the nation and in the Top 10 in the Big West.
• Godbold has been a solid contributor all season as he is the team's third leading scorer with 2.93 kills per set while hitting .301. Both marks rank him in the Top 10 in the Big West.
• Junior outside hitter Spencer Olivier has also been a big contributor for the Beach this season. He is the team's second leading scorer with 3.12 kills per set. Olivier is hitting .329 on the year and is also averaging 1.65 digs per set as he ranks among the Top 10 in each of those conference statistical categories.
• Long Beach State has officially changed the nickname for all sports other than baseball to Beach with the NCAA. Please do not refer to LBSU men's volleyball as the 49ers.

Scouting UC Santa Barbara
• No. 6 UC Santa Barbara brings a 14-4 overall record into the week against the Beach. The Gauchos are 3-0 in Big West Conference action after having defeated UC San Diego (3-1), and sweeping CSUN twice.
• The Gauchos are currently on a nine-match winning streak as they have not lost a match since a 3-0 sweep at USC on February 9.
• UCSB is first in Big West Conference standings, while Hawaii, Long Beach State, and UC Irvine are all tied for second with 1-1 records.
• As a team, UC Santa Barbara is hitting .294 on the year to go along with 11.6 kills per set.
• On the defensive end, the Gauchos are averaging 8.8 digs per set and 2.4 blocks per set.
• Ryan Wilcox is the Gauchos' leading scorer as he averages 3.58 kills per set on a .312 attack percentage. He also leads the team in aces with 18, while contributing 1.33 digs per set and 0.66 blocks per set.
• Patrick Paragas is the Gauchos' setter with 9.83 assists per set to g along with 1.62 digs per set.
• Libero Ryan Pecsok anchors the UCSB defense with 1.82 digs, while Donovan Todorov leads the squad at the net with 1.22 blocks per set.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Gauchos
Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara will face off for the 98th time in program history. Overall, the Beach leads the all-time series, 56-41. Last season, the two teams split the series with LBSU winning in four sets at the Walter Pyramid after having dropped a four-set match to UCSB at Rob Gym the night before.

Weekly Honors
Alex Nikolov claimed his sixth overall Big West Conference weekly honor on Monday, after being named Big West Freshman of the Week for the fifth time this season. Joining Nikolov this week in the conference weekly awards were Spencer Olivier and Aidan Knipe who were named Big West Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively. It was the first honor this season for Olivier and Knipe. This season, the Beach have claimed nine Big West Weekly awards as Clarke Godbold was named Defensive Player of the Week the week of Jan. 24 to round out all the LBSU representatives.

Double-Double Toil and Trouble
Last week against Concordia, Long Beach State had two players record double-doubles as Alex Nikolov concluded the match with 14 kills and 11 digs and Aidan Knipe added 42 assists and 10 digs. It was the first collegiate double-double for both players. The duo joined Spencer Olivier in the double-doubles category as Olivier logged a pair of double-doubles earlier this season.

Doing It Right on the Right Side
Clarke Godbold has earned the start at the right side and is currently the Beach's third leading scorer with 2.93 kills per set on a .301 attack percentage. He ranks in the Top 10 in the Big West in both statistical categories. The sophomore from San Pedro, Calif., has also contributed defensively with 1.02 blocks per set, 0.91 digs per set, and 0.24 service aces per set. Godbold has recorded double-digit kills eight times this season and has led Long Beach State in blocks six times. In the match against No. 2 UCLA on February 11, Godbold registered a career-high 17 kills on a .571 attack percentage in the Beach's sweep of the Bruins.

Aces Wild
Long Beach State has racked up a total of 83 aces in 15 matches thus far to average 1.51 aces per set which ranks the Beach second in the Big West Conference and 11th nationally. Individually, Alex Nikolov leads Long Beach State at the service line as the freshman from Sofia, Bulgaria has totaled 37 aces on the year to average 0.67 per set. That average puts him second in both the NCAA and the Big West. Against No. 12 Stanford, Nikolov fired off five-straight service aces to highlight a 7-0 LBSU run as the Beach came from behind to take the second set off of the Cardinal en route to a 3-0 sweep. Last week against Concordia, Nikolov tied his career-high with five aces as he led the Beach to a sweep over the Eagles.

Setting the Tone
Sophomore setter Aidan Knipe has set the offensive tone for the Beach thus far as Long Beach State has hit over .300 in 10-of-14 matches when Knipe is setting. As a team, the Beach are hitting .342 which is good for second in the Big West and ranks them fifth in the country. Knipe, meanwhile, has distributed 10.66 assists per set this season to lead the Big West Conference and rank third in the NCAA.

Alex The Great
Freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov had a monster collegiate debut and has not let up since. He is currently leading the squad with 4.20 kills per set, while hitting .367, and leading the team with 0.67 aces per set. In the NCAA, Nikolov ranks fifth in kills per set, 15th in hitting percentage, and second in service aces per set. The Sofia, Bulgaria native has recorded a career-high 24 kills twice this season. Against Long Island, he hit a career-best .600 as he when 12-0-20. For his efforts, Nikolov has been named Off the Block Freshman of the Week, Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Week, Big West Conference Freshman of the Week on six separate occasions, and AVCA National Player of the Week.

Block Party
Long Beach State has been a solid force at the net this season as the Beach average 2.71 blocks per set. That average ranks LBSU second in the Big West Conference and second in the nation. Leading the Beach at the net this season is Clarke Godbold who is averaging 1.02 blocks per set to come in 15th in the country. Behind him, Shane Holdaway adds 0.89 blocks per set to rank 33rd in the country.

Off the Bench
The Long Beach State men's volleyball team has a very deep and talented bench full of reserves. So far this season, redshirt senior Marc Moody, junior Calvin Sanborn, sophomore Nathan Harlan, redshirt freshman Nato Dickinson, true freshman Dane Hillis have all come into the matches and made a difference. Eric Beebe earned the start at setter at then-No. 2 UCLA after current setter Aidan Knipe was unable to play due to a non-COVID-related illness. Beebe made the most of his Long Beach State debut as he distributed 42 assists, while adding six digs, in the Beach's 3-2 setback to then-No. 2 UCLA. Against Long Island, redshirt freshman Aidan Grosz made his collegiate debut to help LBSU sweep LIU.

Next Up
Long Beach State continues Big West action next week as the Beach host No. 4 Hawaii on Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2. First serve for both matches is set for 7 p.m.